conclude >> attacks from the skies. syrians say barrels full of explosives are being dropped on them in aleppo. world news from al jazeera here from doha. the israeli military says a soldier was shot dead by a lebanese army sniper. >> he's behind some of the biggest intelligent leaks in u.s. history. spy officials are talking about

an amnesty for edward snowden. the first pictures from china's mission on the moon. >> al jazeera's correspondent in the syrian city of aleppo says more than 120 people have been killed in a helicopter attack. activists say government forces dropped barrels full of explosives on civilians on sunday. many of the dead were children. a warning this report contains graphic images. >> this is being described by activists as one of the worst days of the syrian war in a long time. opposition groups say syrian forces used helicopters to drop

barrel bombs on to at least 10 neighbourhoods in aleppo. volunteers are begging for help. >> translation: we have not rested since morning. more than 10 different areas in aleppo came under bombardment. as you can see this is the only equipment the civil defense team has. we don't have other tools or equipment. >> it's not the first time government forces used barrel bombs. they are made with large cinemas, packed with explosives and rolled out the back of helicopters. they are not terribly accurate. children were among the victims in these attacks on eastern aleppo. the victims are struggling through a fierce winter that people in the middle east have

seen in decades. international aid is starting to arrive, but it's unlikely to be enough from the millions forced from their homes. here in aleppo all these people want is help to find any survivors. >> the israeli military says shots von fired across the border with -- have been fired across the border with lebanon killing an israeli soldiers. israel says the soldier was shot by a sniper. the shooting happened on the far western edge of the border, close to an area patrolled by united nations peacekeepers. more on this now. we are joined by nick spicer, our correspondent in jerusalem. do we have details about what happened or the whereabouts of the lebanese soldier believed to be behind the attack.

>> we have more information as to how the shooting occurred. the soldier who died was driving a jeep towards an army outpost, which is actually operating a navy radar system. when he came under fire the latest reports are indicating that it was small arms fire from a pistol, whether or not a sniper pulled the trigger is not clear. it was not a typical sniping attack because the israeli soldier died under fire at close range. the israeli soldier in the environs decided not to counterattack or launch an incursion, thpinging it might -- thinking it might have been an diversionary tactic. one of their soldiers are missing. it may be the person who pulled the trigger on the gun that killed the soldier. >> what has been the israeli reaction to all of this. is it likely to lead to a border

confrontation between the two sides? >> it's a good question. this is right where israel launched on offensive on hezbollah fighters in 2006, beginning a 34-day war, which devastated much of lebanon's infrastructure. the short answer is no. despite the fact that the israeli government said it reserved the right to act in self-defence to protect sold yours and citizens, foreign ministry sources that spoke to al jazeera said this is not the time to launch an escalation, even though israel reserves that option, and unny fill, the peace-keeping force between israel and lebanon is urging both sides to exercise restraint. >> to iraq where 17 people are dead after a series of suicide and car bombings.

the worst attack happened in the northern city of bagy. four strapped with explosives took over a police station. >> former intelligent worker edward snowden is behind serious leaks in the u.s. history. now some at the u.s. agency are talking about offering him annesty. he's believed to have top secret files. a white house correspondent patty culhane has the latest. >> we know if you are anywhere in the world the n.s.a. can find out who you are calling emailing or where you are going, or listen in to anything you say, whether you are a powerful politician or regular person. when it came to the person who made sure we know that, turns out the n.s.a. can't quite

figure out what other information he has. the office he worked at in hawaii didn't have the technology to know what he had. >> will we ever know? >> no, we doan. >> what are the repercussions? >> he has a negotiating edge on us, he can hold the overhang overize in terms of negotiating. >> that's the question in washington now - should the u.s. government negotiate with snowden, offer amnesty for 1.5 million documents he has. the man leading the investigation says yes. >> my personal view is yes, it's worth having a conversation about. i would need assurances that the reminder of the data could be secured, and my bar for those assurances would be high, more than an assertion on his part. >> the barack obama administration don't agree. they want him returned and prosecuted. they announced they'll make possible changes to the spying

program. it's believed we've only seen 1% of what edward snowden has. the other 99% turns out that not even the us government knows what that will reveal. >> she entered the history books as chile's first female president in 2006, now michelle bachelet is back after winning a run-off election with the promise to shake things up. the socialist candidate got more than 60% of the vote, beating her rival evelyn matthei. >> she's back, chile's popular former president, elected against on the promise of ambitious reforms making south america's stable economy more equal. >> translation: it's time for a new constitution, a democracy that guarantees in the future the voice of the majority will no hanger be shut out by the

minority. >> michelle bachelet's appeal is unquestionable. >> i am thrilled. michelle bachelet is amazing, she fought four us and will guarantee my son can study for free. >> right-wing candidate evelyn matthei was no match for michelle bachelet. the real rival was the high abtension. the low-voter turn out a concern. >> the current government and the future position makes the point that it matters not how you vote. if a lot of people don't vote, you don't have the mandate. if you don't have the mandate, you can't do the reforms you want to do. >> that will not be bachelor's biggest challenge. over the last few weeks, half jokingly they were told that people have high expectations that they believe she can fix marital problems. they are afraid the expectations may be unrealistically high.

>> free and quality education for all, to better distribution of wealth and now constitution. voters expect results. michelle bachelet may feel she has the weight of the world on her soldiers, at least on this night it was time to save our her victory. >> there have been reports of gun and artillery fire in south sudan's capital. fighting broke out in barr okays close to the city center. nagsals have been urged to stay ipp doors. >> a statute of nelson mandela will be underveiled at the union building in pretoria, following the state funeral of the late president on sunday. world leaders sat along side family members and guests at the ceremony in the tiny village of

qunu. it brought to an end 10 days of mourning. president jacob zuma said it has been long and painful. >> many gathered in and around qunu, hoping to gather a glimpse of madeba. not everyone had a chance to get close to him. we explain why. >> many living in nelson mandela's village of qunu were not allowed to attend his furniture. they watched it on a screen. this woman came to say goodbye. she's happy that nelson mandela came home to the eastern cape province. >> he teach us to forgive and forget and make peace with people, and love the neighbours. >> they say being here makes them feel part of the ceremony. >> these people are not far from the nelson mandela homestead. it's over there, the dome marquee in the distance, that's

where the vips and heads of state were sitting. people from the village are unhappy they weren't invited to attend the village. >> these people have neighbours who can't understand why they weren't on the guestlist. she was taut when someone dies you go in person to pay respects. >> translation: it's not right we get to see him for the last time. we are all sad he's gone. tata is the father. >> others understand. >> all of south africa would be there, and all the people coming - we want to go there. that'll be proud. that won't be irrelevant for the funeral as well. >> in africa a member of your tribe is family. people say the connection to the former president and antiapartheid hero is more personal. not being able to say goodbye in

person when they live so close is disappointing. they hope to visit the grave site soon. >> just ahead - australia ends its combat mission in afghanistan after 12 years. it's all aboard in barcelona as a high-speed train heads for paris. is it on track for controversy?

>> good to have you with us. these are the top stories on al

jazeera. al jazeera's correspondent inside aleppo says more than 120 people have been killed and 300 injured in the latest air raids. the syrian military has been accused of dropping barrels filled with explosives on people. an israeli soldier has been killed near the boarder of lebanon. the soldier was shot by a lebanese sniper. chile's first female president michelle bachelet is to take office for the second time. the socialist leader won more than 60% of the broke. she beat conservative candidate evelyn matthei. >> let's get more on the attack in the syrian city of aleppo. activists say so-called barrel bombs from used. let's take a look. they are made by artillery

shells and oil shells. they are filled with tnt, oil and shrapnel and nails and boats. the bombs are usually dropped by helicopters. >> with us now from dubai is greg o-hennesy, a defense contractor, specialise in defense and space issues. good to have you with us on al jazeera. what do you make of reports of barrel bombs used at this stage of the conflict? >> thanks for having me. it's an interesting time for the syrian army to use barrel bombs in aleppo. it seems as though things calmed down for a few months. barrel bombs are used on a smaller scale in august, again on the outskirts of aleppo. this is actually - it seems to be a common theme in aleppo, especially with the syrian army.

they - there are two possible scenarios as to why they are used. it seems they can be used ahead of a much larger crowned offensive, or could be used as a way to contain opposition forces pushing out into the outskirts of aleppo. it's tough to say, but what is obvious is that obviously destructive force that the barrel bombs have. they are not used for destroying military hardware. they are not particularly effective against fortified areas. they are fitted with pieces of rebar, anything that can cause damage to humans. that's the simple point of the use of these bombs. >> do we know that the syrian regime is behind it? >> there are several videos.

again, from latvia, the bombings in august as well, where you see mi 25 helicopters used by the syrian army. there are some reports on yesterday's attack that mig fighters were used. there are fighters online showing the possibility of an mig fighter supporting the helicopters in this attack. >> lastly, why do you think the syrian regime would use the seemingly do-it-yourself diy explosive devices. >> absolutely. they are improvised devices, and are used in this uprising. they were also used in 1982, in hama against the muslim brotherhood. this is something that has been used for some time by the syrian

army. it's within their tactics and proceedures. again, there's the potential that the forces - the syrian fors around the area could be cut off and unable to acquire more conventional ordinance. i believe that it's fundamentally the factor, the destructive forces of the devices are so great when dropped on areas and markets. very civilian areas. the disruptive force is powerful. it will have a strong psychological impact on the civilian. >> thank you for that insight, greg hennessey, joining us from dubai. >> the iranian government says it doesn't know the whereabouts

of a u.s. citizen that went missing in iran seven years ago. last week there were reports that bob levinson was on an unauthorised mission from the c.i.a., and it's been reported that the spy agency paid his family more than $2.5 million to stay quiet. the family says not enough is being done to find him. the u.s. says that's not the case. >> there hasn't been progress, we haven't got him back. to suggest anyone has abandoned him is incorrect and not helpful. the fact is i have personally raised the issue. >> we know that he is not incarcerated in iran. >> how do you know that? >> if he is, he's not incarcerated by the government and i believe the government runs a pretty much good control over the country. we can trace him with find him, we'll discuss this >> so it is possible?

>> anything is possible. but i'm saying we have no trace of him in iran. >> people have started too gas gather in the indian capital of new delhi after the gang rape and murder of a student. it prompted tougher laws against rape. we go live to new delhi. a year later, is the indian capital safer for indian women? >> well, that is a question that everybody is asking today. if you remember when the crime first occurred on 16 december last year, there were massive street protests not just here in the capital, but across the country. from the public, there was outcry at the perceived apathy of political party and leaders.

there was a perception that the judiciary and police did not take the crimes seriously. a year on the government took a number of measures to address the concerns. six fast-track courts have been set up to deal exclusively with sex crimes, and the government is hoping that this will give the police and the judiciary more credibility. a sense of stalking and voierrism have been marked as crimes for the first time in india. punishment for other crimes. a minimum sentence of 10 years. all of the moves do not go far enough. marital rape is not considered a

crime in the country. ippedia has a long way to go for women to feel safe in this country. >> what is going on behind you there. obviously people are marking one year since that incident. what is going on there, what is being done to raise people's awareness around rape. >> today there's a number of activities and protests are planned across the city. this is an occasion in the capital. we are expecting people to trickle in. you can see behind me activists have started addressing the crowd, probably of 100 to 200 people. we expect that to increase as the day goes on. you can see - it was a mass of india and under the name of each

state is the number of rapes reported in 2012. here in delhi in 2012, 706 rapes were reported last year. this has risen dramatically in 2013, more than 1300 rapes have been reported. this is an encouraging sign, say the police. the reports now, compared to last year. there seems to be some protest on sex crimes against women in this country. women are more willing than before to come forward and report the crimes and seek justice. >> thank you for that. joining us from new delhi. >> australian troops have completed their withdrawal from afghanistan, marking the end of the nation's longest military deployment. more than 1,000 soldiers have

been pulled from oruzastan. some will remain in noncombat roles. 40 australian soldiers have been killed, hundreds seriously injured. >> the south korean president says her country must remain vigilant against growing concerns of unease in north korea. >> north korea executed they're , the second-most powerful man. >> translation: when we look at developments in north korea, it's uncertain in which direction the situation will go. we cannot rule out unexpected situations such as reckless provocations. the military and police should strengthen vigilance against

various provocations. we should strengthen national security and guard against pt possibility of north korea attempting to cause division and national unity in the south. >> police in china's shin -- xinguang region have ha riot. >> china's first moon rover sent a photo from the moon's surface. it was shown with the chinese plastic bag on saturday. china was the first country to landa probe on the moon in 37 years. the photograph proves the landing was a success. >> china plans to launch its next lawna probe in 2017. new footage has been released of the "chang'e 3" landing on the move. the jade rabbit will spend about

three months grabbing scientific data. the mission marks the next stage in the space program, aiming to put a chinese astronaut on the moon. now, the first direct high-speed rail link to connect paris with barcelona has opened after months of delays. the time between the two cities has been cut in half from 12 hours to over six. we have this report. not everyone is happy with the new service. >> although the cheapest fare costs more than $80, there was no shortage of passengers when they went on sale. mistaken streamed on to the platform to take the journey >> translation: it's a good thing. we win time and it's a way to bring two countries closer in an effective way. >> i wanted to be the first one on the first one to paris.

i am happy to make the first journey. >> high-speed rail links are proving controversial in europe. there has been protests in italy, opposed to the cost of a lipping with a tunnel under ut alpossess costing $11.6 billion. in the u.k. the high-speed ii project there was opposition. in europe there was approval to expand into france, granted in 1992. >> frankly i feel we are 20 years too late. if nothing else, it was presented as good news, but it was bad news. we've been waiting for it for 20 years. most were looking forward, not back. barcelona-paris cuts a 12-hour journey. further improvements slice

another hour. this is the start of a journey, perhaps a new era of connectivity. >> that story and the rest of the news, including more on our top story of barrel bombs used in syria on the website aljazeera.com. homeowners, one minute home he is. what is going on.